An eight-year-old boy has been praised after helping to deescalate an incident on a Jet2 flight bound for Manchester Airport from Turkey. His actions helped the flight to avoid being forced to make a diversion, which had been authorised due to the disruptive behaviour of another passenger on board.
An unexpected hero
The Jet2 flight was making a routine journey from the Turkish city of Izmir to Manchester Airport when a female passenger began causing a disruption by shouting and swearing. James, who was travelling on the flight with his eight-year-old son, Phoenix, described the incident to BBC News:
“This woman had a bottle of whiskey confiscated, and then she started swearing, flinging her hands everywhere and demanding more drinks.”
The woman was warned by airline staff that the flight would be diverted if she continued to use foul language, but the situation continued until, in a moment of unexpected heroism, James and Phoenix intervened to help deescalate.
It was at this point that the father and son invited the woman to come and sit between them. To distract her and help her to calm down, they began to ask her about her life and make conversation. In particular, Phoenix showed the woman his football cards and asked her if she had any children his age, and whether they played football too.
Eventually, the woman began to calm down, and the flight was able to continue uninterrupted. According to The Independent, the diversion had been authorised and would have been carried out by the pilot if Phoenix and James had not intervened.
James and Phoenix sat with the woman for the remaining three-and-a-half hours of the journey, with James praising his son’s actions in calming the woman down and saying:
“I’m sort of sat there in the end, and I’m thinking to myself, thank God that Phoenix is with me because if he wasn’t, I don’t think I would have been able to handle it.”
According to BBC News, the woman was taken into police custody after the flight’s safe arrival at Manchester Airport. Phoenix was then thanked by the pilot with a handshake for preventing an expensive diversion for the airline.
Jet2 speaks out
Jet2 has spoken out after the incident to praise James and Phoenix for their actions. A spokesperson for the airline said in a statement:
“The vast majority of customers have a brilliant experience when they fly with us; however, our highly-trained crew are always there to look after everyone, as well as provide our friendly in-flight service.
“We have heard about how James and Phoenix reassured a fellow customer, and we would like to congratulate and thank them for their kindness and care. We are arranging for a goodie pack to be sent to them, alongside a voucher for a pair of free flights, in recognition of what they did.”
It has not yet been reported whether the woman involved is facing any legal charges.
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